


By His Side || Happy Hobbit Holiday 2020 Bagginshield fic for KeyWolf25888

by AnironSidh



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bilbo Remains In Erebor, Between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, Confessions, Durin Family Feels, Dwarf & Hobbit Cultural Differences, Erebor, Gift Exchange, Gift Fic, Happy Ending, Have a Happy Hobbit Holiday Gift Exchange, Have a Happy Hobbit Holiday Gift Exchange 2020, Hobbits, Hobbits in Erebor, Idiots in Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Maybe OOC, Post-Hobbit, Post-Quest of Erebor, author unrevealed for now, but hey at least it got done amirite, cloaks, drogo and primula mentioned, durin blue, i haven't written hobbit fic in a while, i procrastinated
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-08
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 17:49:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27950285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnironSidh/pseuds/AnironSidh
Summary: Bilbo Baggins is just staying in Erebor for now, just until he knows every member of the Company will be alright after the Battles, but his feelings for a certain dwarven king may change his plans just slightly.Or, a Bilbo Stays In Erebor fic as requested by KeyWolf25888 for the Have A Happy Hobbit Holiday 2020 exchange! I haven't done much Hobbit fic in a while, but it was nice to get back to these characters.
Relationships: Bilbo Baggins & Thorin's Company, Bilbo Baggins/Thorin Oakenshield
Comments: 18
Kudos: 92
Collections: Have A Happy Hobbit Holiday 2020





	By His Side || Happy Hobbit Holiday 2020 Bagginshield fic for KeyWolf25888

**Author's Note:**

  * For [KeyWolf25888](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KeyWolf25888/gifts).



At first, he meant to leave once the battle had been properly cleaned up, then once he’d made sure Thorin would truly be alright, then whenever Gandalf thought it best to leave, and then… 

Then Bilbo Baggins found himself telling the wizard that he’d rather stay until spring, just so the roads were safer. A message was sent by raven to the Shire, a letter to the Thain instructing that Bag End should be given to his younger cousin Drogo (well, they weren’t exactly cousins, but Drogo was one of the few Bagginses Bilbo still got along with) until any other decision was reached. It was only to keep it out of Lobelia and Otho’s hands, he told himself. Anyways, Bag End was far too quiet without the bustle of a family inside and Drogo had just gotten engaged to Primula Brandybuck, so before long the old house would have a child’s footsteps ringing through its’ rooms again. 

He often sat just outside of Erebor’s (currently being repaired) gates, watching the construction and general bustle of both Erebor and Dale below. Today, it had been nice enough weather when he’d first sat down, a bit of nip to the air within a quick few hours. Bilbo shivered, pulling his thin coat tighter around himself. He’d go in soon, just a few moments longer. 

“You look about ready to freeze out here, Master Baggins,” a familiar deep voice called from behind him. Bilbo turned to see Thorin standing a foot or so behind him, bundled up and leaning on a crutch under his left arm. 

Bilbo shrugged. “It was warm enough when I came out here, you know.”

“Well, I can’t have you freezing to death on my steps, now can I?” Thorin said as he tucked a coat, previously bundled under his arm, around Bilbo’s shaking shoulders. 

_ Look at you now, Bilbo Baggins. From just a rather ordinary hobbit to being offered a coat by a King. Mother would have  _ loved _ this. She always did say you needed to get more, though I doubt this is what she meant. _

“T-Thank you,” he managed, hoping the blush spreading across his cheeks would be mistaken for a bit of a chill. Thorin didn’t seem to notice, nodding and looking out over the valley. 

And that was another thing, wasn’t it? This…  _ thing _ he’d been feeling ever since the Carrock at least that’d he’d credited to just gratefulness at being accepted at the time, until Thorin had made sure he recovered well from his cold in Laketown and the sinking feeling in his stomach and warmth of his cheeks couldn’t be blamed on his illness...Then there had been the insanity with the gold-sickness, and the gift of the mithril, and the terror at the possibility of losing the dwarven king…

He did what any self-respecting hobbit would do and squirreled the  _ feelings _ away as long as he could. There was no way Thorin could return his feelings, so why bother?

“Will you be staying for the Yule celebrations?” Thorin asked, pointedly looking down. “I’m told it’s to be quite the sight. My people need something to celebrate, and so do you.”

Bilbo paused a moment, puzzled at  _ something _ in Thorin’s tone, then replied, “It’s too late to travel anyways, and I’ve  _ heard _ dwarves throw wonderful parties, so I believe I may. Kili made me promise to come see the dancing, at any rate, and I can’t led the lad down, now can I?”

Thorin chuckled, a warm sort of sound that Bilbo felt he could bask in for days. “No, I suppose not. Oin is confident I’ll be mostly healed by then, as long as I  _ rest up _ .”

“Something you’re not very good at, hm?” Bilbo teased, knocking his shoulder into Thorin’s. 

The dwarf glared for a moment, though his expression cracked into a smile a short moment later. “I believe I’ve got the entire Company after me for that,” he muttered with a chuckle. 

“Indeed you do,” Bilbo murmured, hiding as much of that  _ damned _ blush in the fur lining of the coat as best he could. It was  _ quite _ the difficult feat to avoid falling further in love with him when said dwarven king was being so wonderful, giving him bloody fur coats to keep warm and speaking in such a soft tone and, and… it wasn’t  _ fair _ at all. Stupid handsome dwarves and their stupid smiles. 

“It’s nearly time for dinner, actually,” Thorin observed as the bells began ringing below in Dale. “You… you may join me, if you’d like. Fili and Kili as well, of course. I’m sure they’d like that,” he hurriedly corrected. 

_ It’s not a date, don’t make it weird _ , Bilbo reminded himself as he replied, “Sure. I’d quite like that,” and stood, offering his arm when Thorin wobbled in his crutch. 

If only those pesky butterflies in his stomach would quit it when Thorin smiled gratefully down at him. 

-

About a week later, Dori knocked on the door of the rooms he’d been given and bustled around, setting a small pile down on the chair. Bilbo tied his robe a bit tighter around himself and looked over at the dwarf. 

“What’s all this?” he asked, staring at the pile of fabric. 

Dori pulled something from the top and shook it out. “A few cloaks for the winter season. I do hope the measurements are right, they’re closest to the size I’d make for a much younger dwarf. Thorin mentioned to me that you didn’t seem to have much in the way of winter clothing and it gets far too cold here for that. He must not have told you,” Dori sighed at the look of confusion on Bilbo’s face. 

“That’s…” Bilbo hung each cloak over a chair, holding the last one in his hands. “Very kind of him.”

This last cloak was a particular shade of blue, deep and regal with silver and gold stitching in a recognizable pattern along the seams. Most of Thorin’s clothing held this same hue.  _ Durin blue _ , he remembered Ori explaining to him one night around the fire. The color was almost entirely worn by members of the family and those they considered close enough to be  _ kin _ . 

Dori smiled as he passed by Bilbo, glancing down at the cloak. “ _ That _ one, he specially asked me to make for you. Make of that what you will, Master Baggins,” he said cryptically, then left. 

He wasn’t sure he’d ever held something so fine in his life, aside from possibly the mithril. The cloaks were all of a much sturdier construction that he’d ever needed back in the Shire, the material thick and fur-lined in three of the four cloaks, the last one being for the beginning and end of the season perhaps. 

Bilbo slipped the Durin blue cloak on, sighing at the softness of the inner fur lining wrapped around him. It  _ was _ warm, keeping off the constant chill that seemed ever-present in Erebor. 

He hung it on a bedpost and curled up under his blankets, mind racing. 

It was just a  _ cloak _ , there shouldn’t have been too much meaning his mind had attached to it, and yet… He had a gut feeling it  _ meant _ something combined with his earlier conversation with Thorin. That feeling was the same one that’d told him to sign the contract, to follow after the dwarves throughout the entire journey, so how could he ignore it?

Bilbo swung the blankets off and grabbed the new Durin cloak, swinging it onto his shoulders and rushing across his room. The door was quiet when it shut behind him, thankfully. He paused a moment to make sure no one had heard him and set down the silent stone halls towards Thorin’s chambers. 

The Bilbo of Bag End would have balked at such an action, probably sputtered about the impropriety of showing up on a king’s doorstep in the middle of the night, but Bilbo of Erebor only pulled his cloak tighter around his body and soldiered on. 

Though, once he actually got to the front door of Thorin’s rooms, he stood and stared at it for a few moments. He’d knocked on the door before the thought popped into his mind of what  _ exactly _ this was meant to accomplish. 

Good Lady Yavanna, he must be absolutely  _ insane _ . 

“Bilbo? Is something wrong?” Thorin’s voice broke into his thoughts then, heavy and sleep-laden in a way that flipped Bilbo’s stomach. 

“I-I…” he stammered, fiddling with the edge of the cloak. “I… nevermind, I shouldn’t…” 

The dwarven king remained silent for a moment, long enough that Bilbo began to contemplate how quickly he could run away, until he finally offered, “You might as well come in to stay warm. There should be some tea somewhere, if you’d like.”

In the end, the hobbitish want for a warm cup of tea and a fire won out over the anxiety of his racing thoughts. Bilbo followed Thorin into the outer room, curling up on a soft high-backed chair while Thorin busied himself starting a small but merry fire. 

“I’m sorry for disturbing you so late,” Bilbo murmured, tucking his feet beneath himself.

Thorin shook his head, turning with a wry smile after setting the tea kettle over the fire. “No need to apologize. I was awake anyways when you knocked, sleep rarely comes easy I’m afraid.”

Now that he looked, there  _ were _ dark bags under Thorin’s eyes that spoke of long, sleepless nights and a general weariness to his bearing. “Is it the chill? I’ve found that hard to get used to, though I suppose that might just be a hobbitish thing, wouldn’t it?” and oh sweet Lady, he was babbling again. Bilbo opened his mouth to apologize, hopefully  _ without _ rambling like a lunatic, when he happened to glance up to see Thorin’s expression. The dwarf was  _ smiling _ , looking almost  _ fond _ if Bilbo’s tired mind wasn’t lying to him. 

“It  _ is _ something to get used to, yes,” Thorin replied with a short chuckle. “But I can’t honestly say. Cold rooms, the stress, a cold and empty bed, something else perhaps. It’s nothing important, Bilbo. I’ll endure.”

_ There _ was the Durin stubbornness he’d come to know, simply enduring instead of thriving. But the idea rather went against everything Hobbits stood for, comfort and a warm home, so Bilbo scoffed. 

“ _ Honestly _ , there must be something to be done. Could I help, perhaps?”

Thorin met his gaze, as if searching for something there, then sighed. “You don’t need to worry about me such,” he said, softly in a way opposite to how it shook the walls Bilbo had built around his heart. 

“But I  _ do _ ,” Bilbo insisted, leaning forwards in his chair that he now realized put him a scant few inches from Thorin. “Because that’s what one does when they  _ care _ about someone. I worry because I can’t bear to see you unhappy now that I’ve seen how you are when you have a  _ home _ again. Truly, you can be  _ painfully _ unaware of another’s feelings.”

For the next few moments, the only sound was the crackling of the fire before them, its light casting shadows that danced over Thorin’s face. 

“ _ Oh _ ,” the dwarven king whispered, just as Bilbo was convinced he’d ruined things again, and reached across the gap to cup Bilbo’s cheek in his hand and close the distance. 

Bilbo froze at first out of pure surprise, his eyes closing upon instinct. His mind raced through different thoughts as he went from shock to a sense of  _ warmth _ more than just that the cloak and the fire gave him. Thorin’s hand held his entire cheek, and Bilbo leaned into it. Maybe it had been to long since he’d so much as  _ kissed _ someone, which was almost ridiculous if it wasn’t for how  _ odd _ most of Hobbiton found him. 

But this, he thought as he reached to rest his hand on Thorin’s shoulders to steady himself, this was  _ different _ somehow. None of the kisses from his youth, with shy hobbit lasses and quite a few lads, could compare to how  _ safe _ he felt in Thorin’s grasp. 

**_Whiiiiiiieeee_ **

“Tea kettle,” Bilbo said after leaning back slightly, though he was still a few inches from Thorin. 

In a rather uncharacteristic action, Thorin  _ blushed _ as he opened his eyes. “I did offer you tea, didn’t I, and here I am kissing you instead,” he murmured. Bilbo couldn’t help but let out a short laugh, resting his forehead against Thorin’s for a moment. 

“You did,” Bilbo said softly, “but I can’t find a reason to complain.”

Thorin stood up then, walking over to the tea kettle to set about fixing up tea. Bilbo watched as he set up a tea set sitting by their chairs on a side table, an oddly domestic scene that it made Bilbo  _ sigh _ without realizing it. 

“Hmm?”

Bilbo felt a flush creep up his cheeks when Thorin raised an eyebrow as his sigh, setting the tea set down on the short table between their chairs. “Er… nothing.”

“Was it that good of a kiss, then?” Thorin teased as he handed one teacup to Bilbo. 

“Y-Yes, er… rather whiskery… that’s not what I… erm…” Bilbo stammered. He stared down into his cup of tea, cheeks burning warm with embarrassment. 

Thorin laughed as he set his cup of tea down, leaning over to grip Bilbo’s chin and press a gentle kiss to his cheek with a smile. Bilbo glanced up with a soft smile of his own and gripped the warm cup tighter. 

“I suppose that’s good to know.”

Bilbo shook his head, letting out a quiet laugh. “I  _ hardly _ think it’s my fault that you make me nervous, now is it?”

“Oh, do I?” Thorin asked. 

He hesitated, then shrugged. “Well, you’re, you know, this brooding majestic type figure and I’m…” he gestured down at himself, “ _ me _ . Simple hobbit in love with a dwarf king, aren’t I? Er-” Bilbo froze then, registering the words that had just come out of his mouth. 

Thorin had also froze, his tea cup halfway up to his lips. Bilbo shut his eyes and turned his head up. 

“Are you?” Thorin murmured a moment later, sounding  _ much _ closer than if he’d been sitting in his chair. “I  _ believe _ it would be awkward, seeing as I’ve found myself in love with  _ you _ .”

“What.” Bilbo finally opened his eyes and looked down to see Thorin knelt in front of him, smiling softly. “Since… since when?”

He couldn’t help but wonder how he hadn’t  _ noticed _ . Certainly not when they’d met, Thorin hadn’t seemed to like him much for a good part of the journey, at least before he defended the dwarf against Azog after going through the mountains. After Mirkwood, perhaps? The battle? Bilbo found himself at a loss. 

“I’ve known since the Battle,” Thorin said, reaching for Bilbo’s hands. “But perhaps longer.”

“Aren’t we quite the pair of idiots, all this time and not saying a word,” Bilbo replied breathlessly. 

Thorin chuckled, then glanced over at the dying fire. “You know…” he said slowly. “You might as well stay, with how late in the night it is. I could even have breakfast brought up in the morning as well.”

It was quite the bold proposition, Thorin keeping a surprisingly straight face despite what he’d asked. Bilbo let the question hang in the air for a long moment before he shrugged with a smile. 

“No respectable hobbit could refuse breakfast, you know. I suppose I shall. I’m afraid I’ve found my bed to be  _ far _ too big and cold for just one simple hobbit,” he replied, watching the hesitance give way to joy on Thorin’s face. 

The dwarf stood up, offering his hand to help Bilbo up from his chair. 

“Shall we?”

-

When he woke up the next morning, Bilbo Baggins realized he was more well-rested than he’d been in years, almost since he’d been a young lad waking up to his parents busying about the home. Thorin stayed asleep for some time after he woke up, one arm tight around Bilbo’s waist and the other wound in his hair. 

Breakfast was somehow far better when he ate it sitting next to Thorin on a loveseat, fighting over the butter and jam for their toast, interrupted by quick kisses given under the guise of jam or bits of crumbs stuck in the corners of mouths. 

The next time Gandalf arrived and asked about returning to the Shire, Bilbo somehow knew he’d tell the wizard that no, he was perfectly happy staying here. 

Right here, by Thorin’s side. That was perfectly good enough for Bilbo Baggins of Erebor. 

####  here

**Author's Note:**

> Most of this was done within a few days before the due date, honestly mostly the day of, but let me know what y'all think! Comments are free serotonin for me


End file.
